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Saturday, April 16, 2016

There is clear evidence of the great goodness of Christ in that He
does not wait for entreaties from the sick but anticipates their request
with His own loving kindness. See how He runs to the one who is lying
down and how compassionate He is to one who was sick with no one to
comfort him.

But the inquiry as to whether he would like to be
relieved from his infirmity was not that of one asking out of ignorance
what was obvious, but of one stirring up an increased desire and diligent
entreaty. The question as to whether he wanted to obtain what he longed
for is huge. It has the kind of force and expression that conveys that
Jesus has the power to give and is now ready to do so, only waiting for
the request of the one who will receive this grace.

Friday, April 8, 2016

The woman straightway believed, showing herself much wiser than Nicodemus, and not only wiser, but more manly. For he when he heard ten thousand such things neither invited any others to this hearing, nor himself spake forth openly; but she exhibited the actions of an Apostle, preaching the Gospel to all, and calling them to Jesus, and drawing a whole city forth to Him. Nicodemus when he had heard said, “How can these things be?” And when Christ set before him a clear illustration, that of “the wind,” he did not even so receive the Word.

But the woman not so; at first she doubted, but afterwards receiving the Word not by any regular demonstration, but in the form of an assertion, she straightway hastened to embrace it. For when Christ said, “It shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting Life,” immediately the woman saith:

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

All our attention must be centred on the parable of the Prodigal Son. We all see ourselves in it as in a mirror. In a few words the Lord, the knower of hearts, has shown in the person of one man how the deceptive sweetness of sin separates us from the truly sweet life according to God. He knows how the burden of sin on the soul and body, experienced by us, impels us by the action of divine grace to return, and how it actually does turn many again to God, to a virtuous life.St John of Kronstadt

Sunday, March 20, 2016

The
one who knows God will follow the Lord's footsteps, bearing the cross
of the Savior. It is said, "The world is crucified to him and he to the
world." The Lord says, "He who loses his life will save it." We can
"lose our lives" in one of two ways. First, we can risk our lives just
as the Lord did for us. Secondly, we can separate our lives from the
customary things of this world.

Bearing the cross means to separate our souls from the delights and pleasures of this life. If
you do this, you will find your life again - resting in the hope of
what is to come. Dying to ourselves means being content with the
necessities of life. When we want more that these necessities it is easy
to sin.

Thursday, March 17, 2016

Fasting is not just a commandment from God, it is a divine gift. It's a gift, a grace and a blessing. The Lord, who created us as body and spirit, knows that we need to fast. And fasting is necessary for our spiritual life, for our benefit, for our spiritual growth and for our eternity. So, He granted us to know fasting and to practice it, and He commanded us to practice it as a tender, gentle Father and wise Teacher. HH Pope Shenouda III

"Endure
a person in their time of weakness and in their time of error, and win
them with patience and forgiveness and a great heart. There is no doubt that they will regret what they did to you when they sit alone with
themselves."

Sunday, March 13, 2016

If
you happen to fall into temptation, do not let the guilt of sin be an
obstacle to prayer. If you cease praying till you repent, you will never
repent, for prayer is the door to genuine repentance." St. Pope Kyrillos VI